


Somebody Who is Like Me

by skyhooksandtrailmix



Category: GOT7
Genre: Aliens, M/M, University, bambam works at a pet store, jackson and bambam friendship, jackson is a sociology student, markson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:37:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyhooksandtrailmix/pseuds/skyhooksandtrailmix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackson and BamBam are aliens who get sent to earth to study humans. Jackson thinks that Mark is an alien too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some parts of the story will be based off the TV show Third Rock From the Sun. Will hopefully update fairly often. I hope you guys like it~

"Well, it looks like this is it" Spoke a young man as he awkwardly clambered out of the space craft, having to duck his head to fit through the small door.

"See? What'd I tell you, it didn't even feel like it took a week to get here because you were having so much fun with me" The white-blonde haired passenger said with a cocky grin before exiting the spacecraft himself.

The young man exhaled with a faint smile. He would have maybe had a slight laugh in response if he hadn't just spent the last week in a cramped confined space with nothing but him and his jokes.

They both looked out over the view in front of them, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. They had landed on a presently deserted lookout, where they were unlikely to be noticed. It was that stage of very early morning where everything still looks like night, just illuminated. With the sky a vibrant dark blue, it was like they were looking off into a sea of houses, roads, trees, cars, bridges, and billboards. So many things they were not used to.

"You better take these, it'd be pretty bad if I forgot to give them to you" He fumbled through a bag he was holding and pulled out a folder. He flicked through until he found the papers that he was looking for and handed them to the passenger. "These are all of your official documents. Everything about your human identity is there".

The passenger took the documents from him. "Jackson Wang, university student, enrolled at.." The more he read, the more he trailed off into a mumble and just read to himself.

"And from now on I'm Kunpimook Bhuwakul, or, otherwise known by my nickname, Bambam" He smirked slightly "I love the attention to detail".

"Yeah, it's like they gave us a whole life each, that we get to just walk into" Jackson commented, still taking in his surroundings. He was trying to be impressed by the beauty rather than slightly intimidated by the vastness and unfamiliarity of it all. Which was hard, but he wasn't going to let it show.

"Yeah, basically" Bambam replied, stretching out the stiffness in his arms and back. His face twisted a little, like he moved in the wrong way and hurt a muscle. "This human body is so delicate, it can't even have a simple space ship ride without aches and pains." He stepped back towards the space ship and pulled out the rest of the pairs belongings. "At least as far as human bodies go, i get to be pretty cute" He commented, catching a glance of himself in the ships mirror. He brushed his dark red hair out of his eyes with his fingers and briefly made a face at himself before Jackson interrupted him.

"Please, we both know that I got the cuter human body" Jackson gestured at himself. His smug smile gave away how not serious he was.

"In your dreams Jackson" Bambam replied, passing a large bag to his companion.

The truth was, cute or attractive were not things that either of them were used to caring about. These were human concepts. But if they were going to blend in, they had to learn to care about these kinds of things too. They had both spent years training for this mission. Most of that training involved trying to learn all of the information that the home planet had to offer about humans. Which, compared to just how much there is to know, isn't actually very much.

But that is why Jackson and Bambam are there. To learn as much about humans and their way of life as possible and report their findings back home.

 

 

The pair just finished walking down from the lookout and the sun had risen in the time it had taken for them to get there. They had made it to a more populated area. While they both stood at the side of a road, waiting to cross, just like they had been told to. Jackson was looking over a list from the small pile of paperwork that Bambam had given him.

"So, we each have to purchase a mobile phone and a sim card and enter each others number into the phone so we can be in touch through our separate missions." He continued reading "Mobile phones can be purchased at electronic stores, phone specialty stores and department stores".

"Do you have the map?" Bambam asked.

Jackson shuffled through his papers "Ah, here it is". He looked at a nearby street sign for reference, then down at the map to find where they were. He studied the map in silence, furrowing his brow as he focused.

Bambam, a little impatient, peered over Jackson's shoulder. He attempted to find the street they were on on the map briefly before realizing. "Hey Jackson, you're looking at the map of Korea".

"So?" Jackson rebutted.

"So, we won't fin Sillim Boulevard on the map of the country. We need the local map of this suburb" Bambam explained, reaching into his own folder to find the map he needed.

"Oh" Jackson put his paperwork back in his bag, feeling a little deflated. "..Navigation wasn't exactly my specialty in training".

"I know, it's ok" Bambam reassured with a smile, quite unphased. He was busy reading the map. "It looks like there is a department store not too far from here".

"Great"

"And the train station isn't very far from the department store either, which would be what we would have to find next".

 

 

They walked in the through the large automatic doors of the shopping center and their skin was overcome with a cold dry chill as they entered. They quickly turned to each other, with confused and worried faces, before Jackson's turned to a look of recognition.

"Air conditioning." He explained.

"Ah" Bambam clutched his hand to his chest in releif. "I thought I was having one of those 'allergic reactions' that humans have".

A lady with a pram gave Bambam a confused look as she passed by.

"You should probably be more careful about what you say while we're here. We don't want people to get suspicious" Jackson suggested.

"You're right, sorry" he agreed. "Let's just go get our phones".

"Right" Jackson nodded with a look of determination.

They walked further into the store and found their way to the electronics section.

"This is the best technology their planet has to offer?" Bambam jokingly whispered to Jackson.

"They're doing they're best. It's cute. Besides, we're here to learn, not judge" he replied.

While they were interestedly looking at headphones, wondering if they were very different to mobile phones, an employee walked up behind them.

"Can I help you guys with anything?"

They both turned around sharply, obviously startled.

They looked at the tall department store employee, the first human they would interact with this mission.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you" the employee smiled good naturedly.

"That's ok.. Kwon" Bambam said, reading his name tag. "We would like to purchase two mobile phones please" He pulled out his debit card and reached it out to hand to the employee.

Kwon paused, briefly thrown off. "I can help you guys with that.. And you can pay at the registers after we've picked out your phone though" he gave a gesturing glance to the debit card.

Bambam realized his error and embarrasedly shoved it back in his bag. "Thank you" he replied.

"Smooth" Jackson teased quietly, as they both followed behind Kwon.

He led them to a wall that was almost completely covered in phones.

"So, what kind of phone are you after?"

"A mobile phone" Jackson answered.

Kwon chuckled, assuming Jackson was trying to be funny. Jackson and Bambam glanced at each other and giggled uncomfortably, pretending that they got the joke too.

"What's your price range?"

"Um, anything really, we just want a good mobile phone" Jackson answered.

"Hmm.." Kwon raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked over the wall of phones. If he thought the pair were odd, he wasn't going to let it show through his customer service face.

"Well this is our best mid range phone, in my opinion anyway. It has an 8 megapixel camera, 512mb of ram, nice quality speakers, 12gb of storage, Bluetooth, GPS navigation, it pretty much does everything" He explained while pointing at a black phone with rounded edges.  

"But would we be able to contact each other if we both purchased this phone?" Bambam asked seriously.

"You two? Yeah, of course" He replied, a bit confused.

"Great! We'll take two please" Bambam smiled.

"Ok I'll just get those for you then" He led them back over to the counter and using the key that was attached to a lanyard around his neck, he opened a cabinet and pulled out two of the phone they had chosen.

Bambam face lit up like he just remembered something. "And sim cards, we need sim cards".

"These phones come with a sim card loaded with $5 worth of credit, so you're all sorted unless you want to go with a different network. Was there anything else, do you want to buy some extra credit?".

"Yeah.. We'll get $40 credit each too." Bambam replied.  

Kwon put through their order and they left the department store. They noticed a park nearby and sat down on a park bench to get their phones working together.

They hastily unboxed the phones and together managed to figure out the instructions. The instructions said that the phone would come partially charged, so they could load them up right then and there.

"Hey, wait for me, that's not fair" Jackson protested at Bambam's phone screen lighting up. "We were meant to do it together" he lightly shoved his friend, half joking. Then he went back to clumsily fumbling at his phone's sim card slot.

"Here" Bambam put his own phone down and took Jackson's, effortlessly putting the sim card in where it was meant to be and pressing the on button. He handed the phone back.

"I almost had it you know" he pouted, watching the screen do it's little start up animation.

"Sure you did" Bambam mumbled.

"What was that?" Jackson exclaimed.

Bambam just smirked in response. "Has yours loaded the home screen yet?" He asked, changing the subject.

 

 

With some trial and error, they entered each others numbers into their phones. They were unaware of how awkwardly they were using the touch screen. It wasn't particularly unusual for an old person to sharply poke at the screen with clumsy finger jabs, rather than just lightly tap it. But for men their age they certainly looked odd. Especially while sitting on the bench, surrounded by a mess of unfolded instructions and packaging.

"Ok, done" Jackson said accomplishedly.

"Great, lets go to the train station" Bambam decided. He patted Jackson thigh and stood up. He walked forward.

"Gosh Bambam, don't you remember how we're not supposed to litter?" Jackson said teasingly to coax him back. "Littering is illegal you know, and I don't know about you, but I don't plan to learn about what it's like to be a criminal" he continued, making a big show out of putting his phone packaging in the park bin.  

Bambam sighed as he turned around, to put his rubbish in the bin too.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Can't we just hang around and check stuff out a bit more before we split up?" Jackson suggested.

"It's what we have to do. Our missions orders said go straight to our separate apartments and begin our solo missions after we purchased our mobile phones".

"Yeah, I know but-"

"I know it's intimidating" Bambam interrupted, giving Jackson a sympathetic look. "I'm scared too, but our missions are solo. You need to explore student life and I need to explore working life. There's no use in either of us getting too used to the other being there. Because that's not what our missions involve. It's just gonna get in the way of us mixing with the humans if we cling to each other."

"I'm not scared" Jackson rebutted.

"I'll just be a few suburbs away if you need me. We'll be able to visit each other after we get settled in. And, we have these" Bambam flashed his phone.

Jackson nodded reluctantly. "I wasn't scared though" he lightly knocked into Bambam as he walked over, ready to go to the train station.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackson managed to get on the train with very little trouble. Bambam had already gotten on his own train that would take him in the opposite direction.

Jackson watched the other passengers with childlike fascination. It seemed like they all just pretended that each other weren't there? He couldn't understand this behavior.

The train pulled up at the next station and a new lot of people entered the carriage, and a few left. He watched some of the new passengers sit next to the existing passengers. He waited for them to acknowledge each other, but they didn't. They would just pull out their phones or look out the window. He never even saw them look at each other.

The sound of laughing made him turn around sharply. A group of school boys were showing each other their phones and making loud comments to each other. He watched as everybody in the vicinity surrounding the school boys continued to read their books, or play on their phones, like there wasn't a discussion happening right next to them.

The loud tone of the school boys suggested that they were adressing the entire carriage. Did his fellow passengers just have nothing to contribute to the conversation? He wondered.

He had been taught all about how the public transport system worked. How to exchange money for a ticket, how to get off at the correct stop, but he was not told about this unspoken set of social rules that everybody seemed to be adhering to, not that he could even pick up exactly what that was. If he wasn't even taught how to behave on a train, he wondered what other important information had been left out of his training. Considering how he's been sent here to study humans, there must be quite a lot of gaps in the home planet's knowledge. All they have to go off is information patched together from the surveillance missions of aliens before them. And some samples of earth foods and object that they brought back. However, neither of them were never told about previous missions in much detail. Just that they happened. And the information that was recorded.

"Hey, got a staring problem buddy!?" One of the boys exclaimed.

Jackson looked around, some of the other passengers glanced at him, but only briefly. He looked back and noticed that the group of school boys was looking straight at him.

"Oh, you mean me? No, I don't, thank you for your concern though" Jackson replied, loud enough to reach them at the other end of the carriage.

Jackson noticed a few of the surrounding passenger seeming to restrain themselves from giggling. This confused him.

"Could you fuck off?" The school boy replied crassly.

"Yeah, how about you stop looking at us, are you a creep or something?" The other school boy taunted. His friends laughed at this comment.

"I can't beleive you just said that" His friend muttered, shoving him playfully.

Jackson could feel the eyes of the entire carriage on him. He didn't understand how he had gotten himself into this situation. His stomach felt like it sunk to his feet and he just wanted to be anywhere but that train.

"I'm not a creep.." He replied with far less confidence than before. He looked around at the other passengers, who pretended to not be watching when he looked their way. "Sorry" he said quietly, bowing his head.

"Whatever" the school boy conceded, still angry.

"Fucking creep" his friend added before they stopped acknowledging him.

Jackson slumped down in his seat. He no longer wanted to look around with childlike fascination. Instead he opted to just stare at his hands in his lap, in hopes of not doing anything to bother anybody.

He felt a vibration against his leg that made him jump. Then he remembered that he had put his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a new text message from Bambam.

 

_Try not to miss me too much :p_

 

He didn't even know what to type back. He thought about how much easier this train ride would be if Bambam was there, anybody familiar, anybody like himself.

 

_I hadn't even thought about it. You on the other hand, I hope you don't get too sad about me not being there_

 

He hit send and put his phone back in his pocket.

Finally, Jackson's stop was announced and he carefully stood up, not making eye contact with anybody, especially not the group of school boys.

He exited the train and walked up the stairs to leave the train station. He was just happy for that ordeal to be over.

He sat down in the gutter of the train station car park and reached into his bag, looking for the paperwork that Bambam had given him.

Jackson read the address of his apartment and entered it into his phones GPS navigation. He jumped when he tapped start and a a voice came from his phone.

"Walk for 200 meters down Shinsa street, then turn left" It commanded.

He decided to put all of his trust in this navigation system. It seemed to him that even if earth technology was quaint and full of bugs, it was more likely to get him where he needed to go than his map reading skills.

He followed his phones instructions until finally

 

 

"You have arrived at your destination" his phone announced. And it seemed like it was right. He looked up at the small apartment building in front of him. He liked the look of it, from what he had learned about earth architecture, this seemed to be quite a modern design, very minimalist.

Jackson had been told that his apartment was fully set up by the previous mission from home planet. Presumably those aliens had lived there too. They had put through the paperwork, gotten approved, paid bond, collected the keys to get into the building, given them to Jackson, all he himself had to do was go in and make it his home. Apparently the apartment was even full of stuff that he would need like clothes and cutlery and such.

He wondered about how hard it must have been for the initial mission. They wouldn't have had everything just set up for them. Faking the ID documents, getting money, getting somewhere to live, he couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been.

When he entered his combination on the keypad, the front door opened and let him into the building, he walked inside. There was a small lobby with a tiny lounge, fake potted plants and bad coffee shop art on the wall, a wall that lead to a large wooden stairwell.

He walked up and up until he found number 14. His new home.

He let himself inside, not knowing what exactly to expect.

For starters, it wasn't quite as bland as he had expected. In fact, it looked quite lived in. There were even a few pieces of clothing on the floor, and books and magazines on the coffee table near the couch.

Curious about what kind of books the alien from the previous mission liked to read, he picked it up to have a look. Nothing too interesting really, just a book of human anatomy, a celebrity magazine and a grocery store catalogue.

There were so many things in the apartment that he wanted to try out. That he'd read about and wondered what they would be like the entire way through his training. He was almost overwhelmed with choices.

He peered into the bathroom and remembered that with a human body he needed to shower daily. He decided to get that out of the way first, because it was practical, but mainly because he wanted to know what it was like. He had nothing similar on his home planet, in his alien body. Nothing to compare it to.

Jackson removed his clothes onto the bathroom floor and cautiously stepped into the shower. He glanced his reflection in the mirror that was opposite the shower. He hadn't seen himself naked before and needless to say, it was weird. He stared at himself for another minute, slowly and curiously running his hands over his torso, before muttering "what the fuck.." under his breath and resuming with trying to shower.

He turned on both the hot and cold tap and waited, watching the cascade of water pummelling down. He took a step under the shower then immediately jumped back out, startled. The only thing he could liken the feeling to, with his limted experience in a human body, was being touched over and over by hundreds of tiny wet fingertips. It was kind of horrifying.

But, he was on a mission. He had to learn how to be a normal human, and that involved taking care of his body. He stepped back under the shower.

He cringed as the water dripped over his naked skin. His shoulders tensed up while he withstood the unfamiliarity of the sensation.

Then slowly, it became not so bad. In fact, after he got used to it he actually kind of liked it.

He allowed himself to relax a little. He noticed a bottle of liquid soap in the corner and poured some into his hand to wash up with. He was suddenly surrounded by the smell of coconut and vanilla, as he lathered it onto himself. Which he only knew as being the smell of earth food, not soap. He was confused, but he just decided to go with it rather than question it.

He rinsed himself off and stepped out of the shower, smirking when he saw how weird he looked with wet hair in the mirror.

He walked out of the bathroom, even though it was a small thing, he felt accomplished that he had gotten something out of the way on his list of body maintenance. Then he walked back in because he remembered that towels were a thing he was meant to use.

Going through the built in wardrobe in his bedroom, he picked himself out an outfit from the clothes that were left for him by the last mission. Then he brushed his teeth and drank some water, which was uncomfortable at best, but he would get used to it. And he even tidied up the apartment a bit. This being a human thing didn't seem too bad.

But he felt like he was forgetting something. Like, his body was telling him that there was something that he needed to do. But the only signal it was giving him was a painful discomfort in his torso area that he wasn't able to interpret yet.

What haven't I done yet? He wondered.

He remembered the catalouge on the table.

"Food. Humans eat like all the time." He kind of muttered wandering over to have another look at it.

There was a website in the catalouge, that would allow him to order his groceries online and get them delivered, for a fee of course. This seemed far less overwhelming than the alternative.

He briefly checked the fridge and cupboards, but the previous mission didn't leave any food behind. Which is likely a good idea. Who even knows how long ago they left.

Jackson sat down and accessed the internet on his phone. He googled what you should buy for an average weeks groceries (he was taught that Google would be a lifesaver, more helpful than any companion) and entered those items into the grocery website. And just like that, everything that he needed to do was taken care of. No more responsibilities. Until he starts university tomorrow, that is.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter. Mark finally makes an appearance :0

It was university day and Jackson was more than a bit apprehensive. He was normally a really confident person.. Or alien. However, it was hard to maintain the same confidence when it's like everybody else just knows how to act in a way that you were never properly taught. Maybe he was somewhat naive going into this mission. But he had been expecting the people to be friendly and fun and interesting, not like the boys on the train who yelled at him for doing seemingly nothing. The experience had really thrown him. He was hoping that he hadn't made the wrong decision by even coming to this planet.

He dressed himself in a pale pink button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows and black jeans.

The GPS navigation on his phone guided him to the train station. He decided that he was going to make an effort to adapt today. To be just like everybody else.

The train ride was easier when he knew what to expect. He walked in, sat down in a spare seat next to somebody without making eye contact with them and spent the train ride playing games on his phone.

He wondered what university was going to be like. He was enrolled to study sociology. Not that he had any choice in that. Those who sent him on the mission wanted to take advantage of a course that was basically feeding him knowledge about humans. And while Jackson wasn't the first from their planet to be sent to study humans, he was the first to go as a university student. It was hard to tell how it would go.

After he got off the train he felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled out his phone and saw that Bambam had sent him a selfie of him dressed up in his work uniform. Which was presumably taken in a public bathroom mirror. He was doing an overly cute pose and drawing attention to his nametag.

Bambam was going to be beginning his job at a pet store the same morning.

Jackson waited until he reached the university to reply. He turned around so that the university gates could be seen behind him and took a selfie to send to Bambam.

His phone vibrated before he had finished slipping it into his pocket.

 

_My little boy's first day of school :') I'm so proud_

 

Jackson huffed and rolled his eyes.

 

_I'm older than you_

 

He replied. His phone vibrated again.

 

_So? youth is treasured here. I get to be treasured for three more years than u do._

 

_I don't think that's how it works Bambam_

 

_:p_

 

Is the only respond Bambam gave him, who was enjoying the novelty of chat speak and emoticons.

 

 

The university was so vast, he hadn't seen this many people so close together since the department store. But it was different because instead of being a mix of anybody, the crowd was 90 percent people in his own age group. Any of them could be potential friends. As long as he didn't accidentally do anything to upset them, that is.

He made his way to his first lecture. Luckily there was obvious signage that made the lecture hall easy enough to find.

He filed inside, with a small group of students who were walking in at the same time. He noticed a free seat near the front and went to sit down.

The chair that he sat in had a tiny fold out desk that came up from the arm rest and could be folded back into it. It only just covered his lap, but it was big enough to fit his book to take notes with.

The boy sitting beside him caught his attention, he seemed to have been searching his bag for the last five minutes, looking increasingly concerned.

Jackson hesitated, remembering how easy it could be to say or do the wrong thing without meaning to. But he decided to trust himself, this mission would be for nothing if he didn't take chances and actually interact with the humans.

"Have you lost something?" Jackson asked.

The boy stopped rummaging and looked at Jackson. "Oh, uh yeah, I totally remember putting my pencil case in my bag this morning, but for some reason it's not here. Hey, you wouldn't have a spare pen I could borrow would you?"

"Yeah sure, here you go" he handed him a pen.

"Thank you so much.. I'm Mark, by the way".

" I'm Jackson". A smile spread over his face, mostly at the fact that this social interaction has seemed to go well with no issues.

"It's nice to meet you" Mark added quietly. Then the teacher walked into the hall, directing everybody's attention to the front.

The teacher gave an introduction and overview of the course. Explaining what sociology is. Jackson wrote down the definition in his notes.

_::Sociology is the study of human behavior and its origins, development and institutions._

_::Course will cover skills in topics such as group behavior, cross-cultural relations and ethical issues._

Mainly so that he can be good at telling people about what he studies. Because he's been informed that 'what do you do?' Is quite a common question.

The teacher spent the rest of the lecture giving an overview of the curriculum. Jackson was surprised when it ended and he did not feel like he had really learned anything about humans. But he had learned a lot about the course he was going to be studying.

When it was over he walked out of the lecture hall silently with everybody else. He had an hour to pass before his next class, and no idea what to do with it.

He stood near the entrance to the lecture hall and checked his phone. He saw that Bambam had sent him another photo. This time he had taken a selfie with a human. They were both smiling, like somebody had just made a joke and were leaning in close to each other to take the photo. The human was a man wearing the same shirt as Bambam, so he was obviously another employee at the pet store.

This actually brought Jackson's mood right down. How was Bambam making friends already? On their home planet, they are both outgoing and well liked and surrounded by others. But on earth, Jackson just felt inhibited, like he's failed before he even tried. He didn't want Bambam to think that he was winning.

Jackson noticed Mark approaching the exit and without much thought, he took a photo of him and typed

 

_I made a friend too_

 

And tapped send.

Mark stopped and turned at the sound of the camera shutter. "Did you just take a picture of me?" He asked.

"Yes"

Mark had a confused smile "..why?"

"To send to my friend Bambam" He answered, not realizing that he had done anything inappropriate.

Mark paused for a second, like he was waiting for more explanation but there wasn't any, just Jackson looking at him with a straight face.

"Um..ok.." He concluded and walked away.

Jackson, watched him leave, trying to figure out what just happened.

His phone buzzed in his hand.

 

_Did u just take a photo of some random guy? lmao. You know you need to ask people before u take their picture right?_

 

Jackson felt that sinking feeling in his stomach again.

 

_No??_

 

He ignored part of the message.

 

_Did you even pay attention in the social skills segment of our training?_

 

He had, but truthfully, not as much as Bambam did, which he was sorely regretting. He let himself get cocky and overly sure of himself. Going off of the logic that since social stuff was kind of a strength of his on home planet, it would be the same on earth. That just like home, he would be seen as likeable and funny and people would naturally gravitate toward him. That he would have confidence.

He couldn't have anticipated just how much not knowing the rules would ruin his confidence.

 

_I did, I just forgot. And he's not just some random guy. His name is Mark._

Jackson sighed then noticed the a familiar discomfort. He needed food.

 

 

Finding his way to the cafeteria was ok, he was wandering aimlessly initially. But then he saw a group of students who were talking about going there and he followed them at a discreet distance.

The cafeteria was fairly busy, but not as busy as he was expecting. He got the daily special which was Tteokboki and he got a side of vegetables too. He went to sit down. He sat at an empty table on his own, toward the corner of the room.  

It was hard to not feel self concious eating in such a public setting. Particularly when he had had so little practice at it. He knew he probably looked weird or was doing it wrong in some way, but he didn't even want to look up from his food to find out whether or not people were staring. That was infomation he could do without. He just wanted to eat his meal in peace. It felt so wrong that he should feel bad in any way about performing a basic function needed to sustain his life.  

He was getting too negative, feeling like he was just waiting for himself to make the next big mistake. If Bambam was with him it would be different. He wished Bambam was with him. If he there it would be so much easier to just laugh and shrug off his shortcomings. A part of him barely even wanted to talk to humans anymore.

He decided to text Bambam.

 

_What are you up to? How is working going?_

 

He put his phone down on the table and waited for a reply.

 

_Not much, my break is almost over, me and Yugyeom went to get lunch. He's really cool for a human._

 

Jackson, eating alone, felt a twinge of envy.

 

_Yugyeom? Was he the guy in the photo you sent me?_

 

_Yeah, that's him. He's been helping me get settled in to my job, showing me what to do and stuff :)_

 

Bambam sent another message almost immediately after

 

_What have you been doing? How's Mark?_

 

_He's great, I just finished my lecture and he's going to meet me at the cafeteria._

 

He felt kind of ashamed of himself for lying. But he would feel even more ashamed of himself admitting that he was struggling and Bambam was doing way better at his mission than he was.

 

_Good for u! Gotta go seeya_

 

Presumably his break just ended or somebody wanted to look at his phone.

Jackson looked up from the table, which he had cast his gaze down at for quite some time. He noticed Mark on the other side of the cafeteria, walking with a tray of food over to a table. The man who sat at the table greeted Mark as he arrived.

Mark was indeed meeting somebody at the cafeteria, but it wasn't Jackson. He felt pathetic watching him.

When Mark looked his way he looked away immediately and went back to using his phone. Just so that he could have somewhere to look where he wasn't going to accidentally stare at somebody.

Then he remembered, Google. If Google can tell him how to feed himself, surely it can tell him how to make friends.

He pulled up a website that had an entire list of advice, just about making friends. He wished he had looked it up sooner.

He went down the list, dragging his thumb over the screen. It had advice such as

 

_Ask them questions! People love to talk about themselves, and it will be a great chance for you to show them what a good listener you are._

_Compliment them. Find something you like about the person and tell them. It could be their laugh, how smart they are, or even their new shoes. Making them feel good about themselves will make them feel good about being with you._

_Help out when you can. Going out of your way to do nice things for people is a way that you can show them that you value them. Pay attention to things people say they want, and if you are able to help make that thing happen, do. They will likely be very appreciative of you doing something for them without having to be asked. Such as somebody mentioning that they miss a certain sort of candy. You bringing them that candy the next time you see them could be a welcome surprise. It also shows that you pay attention to them._

_Get out there. You aren't going to make friends by keeping to yourself. Talk to people, not every person you talk to is going to want to be your friend and that's OK. Sometimes a part of making friends is getting comfortable with rejection. Go to events, give people a chance to get to know you. If you go to a school or university, go to extra curricular events or join a club to find people with similar interests to you._

_If you need it, get some support. If you are finding forming relationships with others exceptionally difficult, or struggling with isolation there are people that can help. If you are in a school or university, make an appointment with your school's guidance counselor. The guidance counsellor will also likely have a knowlege of your school's clubs and social resources and could help you find something that suits you._

_Otherwise you can reach out using any of the services listed below._

 

He stopped reading and stood up, with a new determination. He took his trash to the bin and had a look at the university's official website before he left the cafeteria.

The website informed him that to make appointment with the guidance counsellor he would have to go to the student center. Which he had seen near the entrance of the university when he walked in.

The student center was heavily air conditioned, that was the first thing he noticed when he walked in. Then the posters of smiling students, covered with text he couldn't be bothered to read and the univerities logo and the navy blue carpet which seemed vibrant against the white walls.

He stood in line until it was his turn. He told the woman behind the counter that he would like to make an appointment to see the guidance counsellor as soon as possible.

Luckily, the whole interaction went smoothly, which was a small victory. And they told him that the guidance counsellor would have time to see him briefly in the late afternoon, or he would have time for a longer appointment in two days.

Jackson was happy to take the appointment that afternoon. He didn't need much of their time anyway. He just wanted some help joining clubs mostly.

His next class went reasonably well. In the sense that nothing went wrong. But he just kept to himself. They had a look at some of the main influencers of the sociology field. There was far more student participation in this class than the lecture he had attended. It was more like a discussion taking place between the entire class, rather than a teacher giving a speech. He liked it. But he prefered to sit back and watch, rather than raise his hand himself. He wanted to be sure he understood class etiquette before he attempted to participate himself.

 

 

"Hi, Jackson is it?, I'm Jinyoung" The counsellor greeted, reaching out for a handshake which Jackson returned.

They stepped into the office and sat down.

"So, what brought you here today?" Jinyoung asked, giving Jackson his full attention.

"I'm not good at talking to people or making friends here, I read that universities have clubs and events which can help" He explained.

"Yes, clubs can be a great way to get yourself out there and meet people with similar interests. What kind of things are you interested in?"

Jackson paused. He knew it was bad that he didn't know, but he really didn't. It's not like he had been on earth long enough to have interests or hobbies.

"I'm.. I'm happy to try anything. I want to find new interests" he answered.

Jinyoung smiled. "Ok then, I like your enthusiasm. Do you want to have a look at the list of the University's clubs?". He pulled a folder out of his desk drawer.

"Yeah, that would be great" Said Jackson, slightly more upbeat than before.

Jinyoung found the correct page and then passed the folder to him to have a look at.

Jackson recognized most of the activities or subjects that the clubs were about. But very few of them seemed plausible to join with no prior knowledge. Astronomy club, Writing club, Cooking club, Anime club. He read down the list.

"The sports clubs tend to be quite beginner-friendly if you're into that kind of thing" Jinyoung suggested.

Jackson kind of nodded in acknowledgement while he continued reading. Actually, sport wasn't a bad idea. He noticed that there was a football club. He had learned about the basics of how play, as a part of his training, just for incase he was in a situation where it came up in conversation.

"How about the Football club?" Jackson asked.

"They would probably be happy to have a new member, You could go along to their next meeting if you want?" Jinyoung offered.

"Yeah sure".

Jinyoung reached out to get the folder back from Jackson. He flicked through the pages until he found the Football club's timetable.

"You wait there, I'll just get this photocopied for you" He said, slipping the paper out of it's plastic sleeve.

Jackson smiled and watched him walk out and close the door behind him.

He tapped his fingertips on the arm of the chair, waiting for him to return. Looking around he could see a bookshelf filled with books on subjects like coping strategies, counselling, stress, depression, learning disabilities and bullying. He wondered if Jinyoung had read all of them. He thought about how Jinyoung not only knew more about humans than he did, but likely knew even more about them than a lot of other humans.

"Here you go" Jinyoung said with a smile as he swung through the door, handing Jackson the timetable. "I've highlighted their next meeting for you, they're having a practice game tomorrow at 5pm if you're free" he gestured to the highlighted section of the page, standing over Jackson's shoulder, who was still sitting down.  

"Yeah.. You know, I think I'll go. Thank you so much for the help Jinyoung" Jackson said appreciatively, while Jinyoung returned to his seat.

"That's great Jackson, I hope it goes really well". He paused and his face softened a bit. "Hey, can I ask you something?".

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I was just wondering, why is it that you feel like you aren't any good at talking to people and making friends?" He asked delicately.

_Because I'm an alien._

But he didn't say that.

"Um, I don't know really.." Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I just feel like I say and do the wrong thing a lot without meaning to. And I don't really seem to fit in" he answered, as honestly as he was able to. There was something about Jinyoung's face. How caring and attentive he seemed made Jackson feel almost like he trusted him, to a degree anyway. He didn't make him feel like he wanted to lie.

"Have people here at the university made you feel that way? Or is that just how you feel in general?" Jinyoung asked, still looking at Jackson with soft eyes.

"In general I guess" Jackson replied a little hesitantly.

Jinyoung nodded sympathetically. "I'm hoping that you might have a different experience with the Football club. When you're in a group of people where you all share a common interest and are all doing the same activity, it's a bit easier to know what to say. And to not say the 'wrong thing'. Also, a lot of people who join clubs are like you, in that they're mostly joining because they're looking to make friends too".

"They are? That's great" said Jackson, with more confidence than before.

"Yes.. Unfortunately we're out of time, sorry I couldn't do a longer appointment".

"No, that's fine" said Jackson, standing up.

"If you ever want to talk more about fitting in and making friends.. Or anything really, I'd be happy to see you again if you want to make an appointment" Jinyoung informed him, opening the door to let out.

"Thanks Jinyoung, seeya around" Jackson gave him a smile and a small wave with his fingers.

"Bye Jackson, have a good day".

Jinyoung closed his door and Jackson walked to the train station, looking forward to Football club.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I am deeply deeply sorry about bro!jaebum. Besides that, enjoy~

"Ask them questions, compliment them, help out when you can, do favours without being asked, put yourself out there." Jackson read over the list while approaching the grass field that Football club held their practice at.

He could see a group of young men sitting on a the grass, with a man wearing a cap and a whistle on a lanyard standing in front of them.

"Hey, is this where Football club meets?" Jackson checked.

The man wearing the cap turned around. "That's right.. We're you looking to join?" He asked.

Jackson nodded "Probably, I was hoping to try it out. I haven't played much before".

Jackson glanced over the crowd of men sitting before him. He almost let himself feel intimidated, but then he remembered that most of them were just here to have fun and make friends, just like himself. Besides, for all he knew he could be a natural at this football thing.

"Well some fresh blood is always welcome, isn't that right team?" The man turned to the group.

The group agreed in a uneven, vaguely enthusiastic kind of away, which was enough for the coach.

"Ok kid, you're in" he declared.

The coach introduced Jackson to everybody. Not that he was going to remember everybody's names. But he tried.

Before they played an actual game they had to do some warm up exercises. This consisted of lots of things, but mostly running and stretching.

It was foreign to him, the idea of physical activity for the sake of physical activity, not just to perform a function. But it was kind of fun, he actually felt pretty good.

It seemed interesting to him that humans organise their lives in this way when compared to other earth animals. Other animals would generally get the exercise they need just from the pursuit of keeping themselves alive. Whereas humans have made their world adapt to suit them so much that the average person doesn't have very much exercise forced on them at all as a normal part of their day. So instead they create designated exercise times, where they go out of their way to move their bodies to remain healthy.

It didn't seem like a bad thing to him. Quite clever, if anything. It would be much more pleasant getting to play a sport of your choice rather than having to run to catch food for exercise.

They started playing the actual game and Jackson was determined to impress. Or, at the very least, not embarrass himself. When he managed to get the ball he would kick it to JB, who from what he had seen, seemed like the best player on his team.

The second time this happened JB gave him a quick nod and a grin, like he was acknowledging and thanking him, before charging away.

Even if he wasn't scoring the goals himself yet, it was good to be a part of the team. He could still feel like he was contributing and helping the game in some way.

He found that he got less clumsy as the game went on. He was actually a faster runner than a lot of the other players, which made him quite good at disrupting the opposing teams attempts.

He ended up with ball again.

"Go for it Jackson!" JB yelled.

Jackson saw his window, a chance to get a goal of his own.

He ran for it and kicked the ball full force to the side of the goalie who didn't quite manage to stop it.

"Great work Jackson!" Commented the coach, trying to be encouraging of the new player.

Even though it was a small thing it made him feel so happy. He had a grin on his face for the rest of the game.

 

Ask them questions, compliment them, help them out and do favours even without being asked, put yourself out there. He went over the list internally.

"Hey, what's that?" Jackson asked, pointing at the can JB was holding.

"This? It's just a new energy drink they sell at the cafeteria" He replied, taking a sip then putting it down to change out of his football shoes.

Most of the team was getting ready to leave since practice was over.

"Energy drink? What's that?" He knew he was meant to know, but the name had his curiosity.

JB turned his cat-like eyes to Jackson. "You don't know what an energy drink is?".

He shook his head no.

"Well.. It's kind of like coffee but.. more. More caffeine, more sugar, more energy. Do you wanna try it? You can finish it if you want" JB offered.

"Sure" He cautiously had a taste, but no more, having been warned about the effect of things that his body wasn't used to.

"You were really good in the game today" Jackson commented.

"Thanks bro, I do my best" he stood up, all ready to go. Jackson walked with him.

"Why aren't there any women on the team?" Jackson asked. It was an observation he had been wanting to ask about the whole way through practice.

JB shrugged.

"Why aren't there any women on the team? Why are there only men?" Jackson asked again, assuming JB hadn't heard him.

"Uh.. I dunno, it's football. " JB answered dismissively.

Jackson was completely confused and unsatisfied with that answer but decided to leave it at that.

".. Where are you going now?" He asked JB as the got further from the Football field and closer to campus.

"My girl is gonna meet me outside B block" JB informed him.

"Your girl?" Jackson didn't understand. Did he have a daughter? Could be referring to a dog?

"Yeah this girl Gyuri I've been seeing. She's so fucking hot dude" he replied.

Ohhhh he meant a romantic partner. Jackson had been thrown off by the phrasing.

JB groaned as they got closer to B block.

"What?" Jackson asked curiously.

"She's with that fucking guy again" He muttered angrily, clenching his fists.

"And.. That is a bad thing?" Jackson asked, genuinely confused by JB's behavior, in an honest attempt to understand.

"Yes it's a bad thing" JB said almost condescendingly. "He's trying to take my girl".

"Oh! ok.. Why would he do that?" Jackson asked, while looking for which girl and guy JB was referring to.

JB chuckled slightly. "You really don't get anything, do you".

Jackson laughed uncomfortably.

"I wish somebody would teach him a lesson".

"You do?" Jackson replied, but JB didn't hear him. He was too distracted by a pair walking toward them.

"He needs to learn that just because he thinks he's all pretty with his fluffy hair doesn't mean that he can have any girl he wants. Gyuri is my girl".

Then Jackson recognized which girl and guy JB had been referring to.

"JB!" The girl exclaimed, a smile on her face as she got closer.

"I should go, have fun tonight" The guy said, giving her a breif hug.

"Bye Mark" She said as they released each other.

Mark and Jackson's gazes caught each other as he walked by, but only for a fleeting moment.

"JB! How way practice?" Gyuri said, trapping JB in a tight hug.

"It was good" JB replied, a little distant. Gyuri didn't seem to notice.

JB side eyed Jackson.

Jackson took that as his cue to leave.

"Well, I should get going, I guess I'll see you later".

"Yeah bye" said JB uninterestedly.

Jackson turned and started walking to the train station. Remembering to himself

Ask them questions, compliment them, help out when you can, do favours without being asked, put yourself out there.

 

 

The next day in class they learned about what makes sociology a distinct way of looking at the world around you. Jackson was having trouble paying attention because he felt like he's barely been taught anything about humans yet. It was like each class was just telling him what sociology is in a slightly different way. But introductions are to be expected, but this was so boring. He doesn't know exactly what Bambam does all day in the pet store, but he bets it's more interesting than this.

He felt less uncomfortable about eating in the cafeteria than he had yesterday. But he still sat alone.

He looked over some of the photo's of the animals that Bambam had taken and sent to him when his shift ended yesterday.

He smirked slightly at the only photo that Bambam himself was in. Where he was doing a peace sign next to his face, leaning down in front of the turtle tank.

When Jackson finished his lunch he decided to have a walk around campus, there was probably a lot that he hadn't seen yet.

He turned around some corners that he hadn't walked down before, walked passed some unfamiliar buildings. He saw a little coffee shop that he didn't recognise and just passed it was a large grassy area that a some students seemed to be relaxing on.

Walking through, he saw some were talking to each other, some were studying, some were even sleeping. Then he noticed that he recognized a boy who was sitting alone reading a book. Which was good, because he was kind of hoping to run into that person in particular.

He walked over to him.

"Hey Mark"

Mark looked up from his book, slightly startled. "Oh, Jackson, hi".

"Is it ok if I talk to you about something?" Jackson asked.

"Uh, yeah sure" Mark replied hesitantly, unsure of what to expect. He patted the grassy ground, signalling to Jackson to sit down. "What's this about?".

Jackson looked at Mark for a moment, hoping that this was the right thing to do. " It's about Gyuri" he informed him.

"Gyuri? What about her?" Asked Mark, quite confused.

"Look, you just need to know that Gyuri is with JB and you coming up with your pretty face and you're fluffy hair isn't going to change that" Jackson explained, gesturing vaguely at Marks face and hair as he spoke.

"Um.. wow.." Mark said quietly, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. "Ok..well first off, thanks for saying I'm pretty, I guess" he laughed uncomfortably.

"That's ok" Jackson replied, he smiled slightly.

"And secondly, you have nothing to worry about, I can assure you" Mark added.

"But JB said you were trying to take his girl" Jackson said, more confused than ever.

"Look.." Mark brought his knees in closer to himself and spoke a little softer. "I'm not interested in Gyuri, or anybody like her.. _if you know what I mean_ ".

"Not really" Jackson replied honestly.

Mark sighed and subtley played with the long hair of his fringe. "I'm sorry if I'm being vague. I'm not very used to talking about it. Just, some people here aren't as accepting as I would like them to be. They can't accept that I'm.. well _you know_.."

Mark waited for recognition from Jacksons face, but he was clearly not getting it. So he continued.

"That i'm you know.. from a _different_ world.."

Jackson eyes widened in disbeleif. "A different world.. You mean you're-"

"Yes" Mark replied, glad that Jackson finally got it.

"So am I!" Jackson exclaimed, the excitement showing on his face.

"Really.. I kind of had a hunch" Mark smiled.

"Is it really so obvious?" Jackson asked, slightly concerned.

"No, I'm just pretty good at picking up on these things I guess" Mark answered, moving to a more comfortable position. "Hey, sorry I was so nervous, I've only started telling people recently".

Jackson's jaw dropped. "You've told people?" He exclaimed, completely stunned.

"You haven't?" Mark asked sympathetically. In that moment, the way his face softened reminded Jackson of Jinyoung.

"No! Of course not.." He had never even considered that. "..How did they react when you told them?".

"Well, not everybody is going to react well when you are honest about yourself. You're definitely not obligated to tell anybody you don't feel safe telling. But for me, most people I've told have been really good about it actually. Times are moving forward, people are way more socially aware than they used to be. Well, young people at least. I tend to feel the most safe telling people my own age rather than people in our parents generation".

"I had no idea.." Jackson couldn't beleive it. How was he not told that the younger generation was becoming more accepting of people like him? Why wasn't he being taught about this in his classes? Or in his training?

"Well it's about time people came around, I mean, we are like ten percent of the population.".

Jackson was silent for a moment. Taking in this information.

"I thought I was all alone here" he said quietly looking down at his shoes.

Mark shuffled a little closer and put his hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I know what you're going through. I felt that way growing up. But just because the world likes to act like we don't exist doesn't mean that we aren't out there, deserving to be loved and be happy, just like everybody else".

Jackson lifted his head and looked at Mark, eventually giving him a small smile.

Mark continued "When you get out to the bars and clubs you see that there is a whole community of us".

Jackson's eyes widened "There are bars? Just for people _like us_?" He said the last part a bit more quietly.

"..Yeah, there is. I can't beleive you didn't know that to be honest" Mark answered. "Hey, you know, me and my friend Youngjae were gonna hit up a bar downtown this evening if you wanted to come?".

"Really?" Jackson flung his arms around Mark, already feeling like they were friends. "Thank you so much Mark, you've made me so happy" he said excitedly.

Mark wrapped his arms around Jackson, returning the warm hug. "It's ok, I'm glad that I could help" he was genuinely surprised by just how much he had helped. He wondered if Jackson's parents made him super sheltered or something. Or if he wasn't from around here.

Whatever the reason was, he looked forward to showing Jackson that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was.


	5. Chapter 5

Jackson went home briefly to get changed before going out with Mark and His friend Youngjae. After he had finished getting ready he received a text from Bambam.

 

_Hey what've u been up to today? I kinda messed up and accidentally let a bird get out of its cage and I had to catch it. It was fine but the boss wasn't happy :/. At least I'm finally on my way home._

Jackson smirked as he texted his reply.

 

_Oh you know, not much, went to uni, walked around campus some more, met another alien.._

 

Jackson phone rang almost immediately. He let it ring a few times then answered.

"Jackson, you wouldn't joke about this right?" Bambam interrogated.

"No" Jackson replied, sounding a little offended.

"Then who? how? why?" Bambam said hurriedly.

"You know my friend Mark? Well it turns out he's an alien too" He explained.

"We weren't told there would be other aliens here. What if-"

"Well there are lots of us, apparently. Just many are hiding, like us" Jackson interrupted.

"Are you sure? That seems a bit.. farfetched" Bambam said cautiously.

"Yes, I'm sure. Gosh Bambam it's like you don't even trust me or something. We're supposed to be supporting each other on our missions, remember?" Jackson teased.

"Why are you like this" Jackson could hear the smile in Bambam's voice. "I do trust you, it's just.. You have a tendency to get excited and rush into stuff before you think it through. It could be worth stopping and-"

"He's taking me to an alien bar" Jackson interrupted, his enthusiasm untarnished by Bambam's warning.

There was a breif silence. "An alien.. bar?" Bambam wanted to make sure he heard him correctly.

"Yes, there's a whole community of us you know" He answered, as though he hadn't only just recently not known either.

"..Can I come?" Bambam asked.

"Your human ID isn't even of the legal age. How about this, I'll go check it out tonight with Mark and then if it looks like a place that'd be easy to get you into, we'll go again tomorrow, just you and me".

" Ok.." Bambam said disappointedly.

 

 

Following the instructions that Mark had texted to him, Jackson caught the train into the city and walked until he reached the downtown part of it. It wasn't bad, just instead of office buildings and such, the streets were lined with clubs, bars and places to buy food. Most of the people he saw looked like they were dressed up for a night out. He saw lots of girls in tiny flashy dresses. Lots of groups of friends, with smiles on their faces.

He noticed a street sign which indicated that he was on the correct street. Mark had told him that he and Youngjae would be waiting for him out the front of the bar. Apparently it would have a sign that says the Dawn Room. It seemed like it should be hard to miss.

Wandering down the street a little further he was startled by a voice.

"Over here!"

Jackson turned around and noticed that he was just about to walk past the Dawn Room. It's sign actually looked at fair bit more discreet than he had anticipated. It was quite an understated building which you probably wouldn't pay any attention to unless you were specifically looking for it. Which made sense, considering it was an alien bar. You wouldn't exactly want to draw attention.

Then he saw Mark who was standing out the front. Mark smiled when their eyes met.

Mark was dressed quite differently to how he had been on campus, but it suited him. He was wearing pale blue jeans which had rips at the knees and a fairly tight grey long sleeved shirt. The sleeves were maybe a little too long, so the hung over his hands slightly.

Mark gave a friendly wave as Jackson got closer. "Hey Jackson. I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the place. It's a bit out of the way".

"No, it was fine" Jackson replied, then noticed A dark haired man standing next to Mark, who seemed to be staring at Jackson with quite an intensity.

Mark paused and glanced at the pair, then interjected "And this is my friend Youngjae".

".. Hey Jackson, it's nice to meet you" then Youngjae's demeanor changed, he took his eyes off of Jackson and a sunny smile spread on his face. "Well, are you guys ready to go inside? I could use a drink".

"Yeah sure, you ready Jackson?" Mark checked.

He nodded and the group walked inside, following Youngjae to the bar.

There wasn't much of a line at the counter. Youngjae ordered a strong drink to start off with and was sipping at it while he waited for the other two to order.

"What are you going to get?" Mark asked.

"I'm not sure.. I don't really drink much" Jackson answered, while reading the labels of the many alcohol bottles behind the counter.

He definitely felt a bit apprehensive about drinking, since it was not something he had done before. But since so many other aliens seem to enjoy it, it must be fine.

A bottle with an image of a tiger caught his eye. "I want to try that!" He pointed.

Mark smiled at his enthusiasm, then he got distracted by the bartender.

"What can I get you boys?" The bartender asked.

Mark ordered two of the drink Jackson had chosen, mixed with soda of course, then he pulled some money out of his wallet to hand over.

Jackson went to hand him some money for his own drink but Mark waved it away.

"I asked you to come out, I'm at least buying you a drink" He explained.

"Oh, thank you" Jackson smiled and put his wallet away. Mark was so nice to him. So much nicer than earth people.

While the drinks were being mixed Mark noticed that his friend had already half finished his drink. "Go easy Youngjae" Mark laughed.

"Oh.." Youngjae stopped absently sipping and looked at how much of his drink was gone. "..sorry. I didn't notice" he giggled uncomfortably.

"Here you go" The bartender said, handing Jackson and Mark their drinks.

"Where do you want to sit Jackson? can sit in here with the music, or in the outdoor area out the back" Mark asked, because in a way Jackson was his guest.

Jackson pondered for a moment. The music was slightly obnoxious inside. Which would be fun if you were there for the music, but not if you wanted to be able to interact.

"Let's sit outside" Jackson decided. They walked toward the back doors, Jackson looked in wonder at each person as they walked by. He couldn't beleive they were all aliens. However he wondered if it was expected to be at least a bit discreet, since any regular human could walk in if they wanted to. How would he know who's an alien and who isn't?

The outdoor area was relatively crowded, but there were a few spare tables. It was almost like a fenced off back patio, with white plastic tables. Luckily, there were a few tables left that nobody was sitting and the group sat down.

Jackson took a sip of his drink and tried not to grimace as unexpected bitterness hit his tongue.

"It's a bit strong isn't it" Mark commented, after taking a sip of his own drink.

"Yeah" Jackson, replied, trying to be normal about how bad alcohol tasted.

"Youngjae, you've been so quiet, what's up?" Mark asked. Which felt strange because he was so used to being asked that question himself, not the other way around.

"Sorry, its been a weird day. I'm just distracted I guess. So Jackson, you study sociology like Mark don't you? Have you got any big plans for what you want to do after you graduate?" Youngjae asked.

"Well I hadn't really thought much about it. At the moment I'm just studying so I can learn as much as possible. Then I'll figure it out when I need to I guess" Jackson answered, semi honestly. "Are you studying anything?" He asked, wanting to get to know Mark's friend a bit more.

"Yeah, I'm studying to be a high school music teacher. I go to the same university as you and Mark, I haven't seen you around campus though" Youngjae replied then slurped the last remains of his drink.

"Well I'm only new" Jackson explained.

Youngjae nodded, acknowledging Jackson's answer then slid his empty glass further away toward the middle of the table. "I'm gonna get another drink, do you guys want me to get you anything?" He asked.

Mark glanced at his own relatively full glass and Jackson's which was even fuller. "Nah we'll be fine. Thank you though".

Youngjae smiled tiredly and wandered back over to the counter by himself.

Mark watched him leave, wondering if he seemed a bit off. Then he took another sip of his drink and turned back to Jackson.

Mark noticed how Jackson was looking around starry eyed.

Because Jackson was still amazed by just how many aliens there were in his own city. He wondered just how many of the others in the bar were actually aliens. It seemed too good to be true.

"I can't beleive it Mark. Thank you so much for bringing me here, for showing me.. this" He said gratefully, gesturing at the surrounding tables full of people.

"That's ok. After we talked I really felt for you that you didn't even know that this community existed" Mark replied.

Jackson looked at the people some more then asked quietly "So are all of the people here.. like us? Or do you get a bunch of regular people walking in?".

" Well, I couldn't really say" Mark answered. "It's not like I can tell just by looking at them, but most of these people would be. But it isn't uncommon for people to bring their straight friends". Jackson's innocence was so strange, it made Mark feel like he was teaching him about another world.

Jackson nodded, assuming straight must be slang for non alien. He braved another gulp of his drink, which was getting a little less jarring.

There were so many questions that he wanted to ask Mark, but he remembered Bambam's hesitation. It was true that Jackson was taking a big risk by revealing what he was to Mark and by going with Mark to the bar that his training had told him nothing about. The last thing he wanted was to give Bambam a reason to tell him I told you so. Because of this he was cautious, mostly choosing to just follow Marks lead with how much information he would divulge. It occurred to him that he didn't even know if Mark was from the same set of missions, or even the same planet. He would have to be careful.

But so far he felt quite safe around Mark. Mark had really gone out of his way to show him that he wasn't alone and he felt very appreciative.

Jackson watched two women walk to a table holding hands, they leaned in very close to each other when they spoke, smiles on their faces. Jackson felt vaguely envious of them, he wished he had a friend he was that close to.

"You've barely touched your drink" Mark commented.

"Don't rush me" Jackson smiled, picking his glass back up.

"Oh I wasn't rushing you" Mark assured. "I was just noticing".

With his next few gulps Jackson felt a vague warmth from his chest to his stomach. It was a strange and unfamiliar sensation, though not unpleasant.

"I really wasn't rushing you" Mark giggled slightly, having noticed Jackson's pace increase.

"It's not because of you, its because its tasting better" He explained, though it wasn't entirely true. It was mostly because of Mark.

"Yeah, I'm a bit more used to how strong it tastes too. It's actually not so bad" Mark agreed.

"So what do you usually do here?" Jackson asked, curious of the kind of activities that would happen at an alien bar.

"Um, well I guess mostly me and Youngjae come here when we want to de stress or just get out of the house and meet people. We have some drinks, maybe dance a little, if I'm feeling up to it. Usually we get to talk to some new people too which is nice" He answered.

"Is that all?" Jackson asked bluntly. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it was more than that.

"Well, like, sometimes if I'm lucky I'll meet somebody special" Said Mark, a little thrown off by Jackson's disappointment with his previous answer.

"And then what happens?" Asked Jackson with geniune curiosity.

Mark squinted breifly, looking at the sincerity in Jackson's expression. What if this boy was actually so innocent that Mark was corrupting him, he wondered. But then, Jackson was an adult and he had chosen to come out to a gay bar with him, nobody had forced or pressured him.

"Um" Mark laughed slightly "And then they go home with me.. Or I go home with them.. Hopefully anyway" He answered, being as blunt as he could without going into unnecessary detail. He sipped his drink again, for the sake of having something to do with his hands.

"Oh, ok" Jackson also sipped his drink. He wondered why going to each others houses was such a big deal, though when he really thought about it, he would love to have a friend who came over to his house. Actually that would be something that would make him really happy. The loneliness that came with being on earth had really gotten to him more than he cared to admit.

He kind of wanted to ask Mark if he would go home with him. But he didn't want it to seem like he was rushing their friendship.

"Where is Youngjae?" Mark asked, not expecting an answer.

Jackson shrugged and glanced toward the door back into the bar. "He's been gone a while, hasn't he".

Mark gulped down the remainder of his drink and put his empty glass down on the table. "We should probably go get him".

" Yeah, ok" Jackson replied, then copied Mark, leaving his own empty glass behind too.

It was more lively inside the bar than it had been when they arrived and they had to squeeze through the crowd to find Youngjae. But there he was, leaning against the end of the bar, cradling a drink in a tall glass. He was absently gazing into it, barely paying attention to his surrounding until Mark got his attention.

Mark walked over and punched his arm lightly. "Hey Youngjae" He said, loud enough for him to hear him over the crowd.

"Oh! Mark, hey" He immediately lifted his gaze and smiled. "And Jackson" Youngjae added, in a tone like the name was much stranger than it actually was.

"What have you been doing? Don't you like hanging out with us?" Mark teased.

"I just needed a moment, I'm fine now though" He answered.

"Are you sure you're f-"

"You guys have to try these shots with me, the bartender recommended them, i just had some before, they're so good. They have some kind of creamy liquer mixed with some strawberry thing and just trust me, its amazing" His enthusiasm effectively interrupting Mark and changing the topic.

"Well.. ok" Mark agreed, following his friend over to the line of people in front of the bar. Though he was still going ask Youngjae what was wrong in more detail later. Clearly he wasn't in the mood right now.

"You want to do shots?" Mark checked with his guest.

"Of course" Jackson agreed, feeling up for anything.

They waited in line until it was their turn and ordered. The bartender filled three tiny shot glasses and they took a glass each and stepped away.

"You ready?" Mark asked them both. They nodded.

The group downed their shot glasses at the same time, though Jackson was coughing immediately afterwards.

"Are you ok?" Asked Mark, putting a hand on Jackson's arm.

"I feel like I'm dying" Muttered Jackson hoarsely.

Youngjae laughed briefly but stopped himself when Mark shot a glance back at him.

"You really don't drink much, do you?" Mark asked in a sympathetic tone. He felt sorry for Jackson, looking at the way his eyes watered from coughing. It kind of reminded him of when he snuck some of his parents alcohol when he was very young and had not in any way anticipated the taste or the way it burned going down.

Jackson just shook his head. He felt embarrased, but Mark's hand on his upper arm felt somehow reassuring.

"..Have you ever done shots before?" Mark asked.  

"No, I'm only new here" Jackson answered quietly.

"..So you haven't even been to any straight bars?" Mark asked confusedly.

"No, not yet.." He answered, getting the impression that Mark had been on earth far longer than he had.

Then something occurred to Mark. "Wait, have you drank alcohol at all before?".

"Well.. No" Jackson answered.

"Oh no, I really am corrupting him" Mark said, half joking.

"It's fine" Jackson said, brushing Mark's hand off of his arm and standing up straight. "I'm fine. Really".

"I hope you didn't feel obligated to drink" Mark checked, wondering if he should be feeling guilty.

"Nobody forced me to do anything. If I want to drink, I'll drink. If I don't, I won't" He dismissed.

"Well.. Ok.. But I'm going to look after you and make sure nothing happens to you, ok?" Mark said, slightly nervous.

"You don't need to look after me, I'm fine. Youngjae, aren't I?" He turned to Mark's friend.

"He does seem like he's handling it ok" Answered Youngjae, unsure of what else to say.

"I'm still looking after you" Mark insisted. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you".

"If you must" Jackson conceded in a jokey tone with a cheeky smile, rolling his eyes. "Can we get more drinks?" He asked, clearly recovered from the shot.

Mark looked at Youngjae worriedly, who just shrugged in response, with a pleasantly indifferent facial expression. Mark couldn't tell if it would be his actual reaction or if it was just from his friend having had a few more drinks than he had.

"Ok" Mark said reluctantly and they joined the line of people by the bar.

Jackson ordered the same drink he had earlier, while Mark ordered something sweet and red coloured that stained his lips and teeth slightly.

The group stood near the entrance to the outdoor area, where it was a bit more quiet and just talked and watched the people. Youngjae seemed to get slightly more at ease, but Mark still felt like he seemed a bit off. Conversation gradually flowed more easily, but when it didn't they could just watch the people on the small dance floor, who seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The group got another round of drinks and went back to their spot near the entrance.

"You ok?"

"Yes! Gosh Mark, you can stop asking me that" Jackson smirked.

Youngjae laughed at his comment.

"Sorry" Mark giggled.

Jackson was definitely feeling his movements get looser and his words more relaxed, but that was nothing for Mark to worry about.

Youngjae sighed watching a man wearing a tight black shirt which perfectly revealed his muscular frame walk by.

"There's so many hot guys here. So many hot guys I will literally never have the courage to talk to" He commented.

"Pretty much me 90 percent of the time" Mark replied with a self depreciating smile, then took another gulp of his drink.

Jackson had noticed that on average, the men in the bar did seem more physically attractive than the men at university. There seemed to be more men who put effort into their appearance or put more work into building muscle. Or at least wore clothes that showed it off better. Maybe it was an Alien thing. He and Bambam got put into decently attractive bodies, in his opinion. So did Mark and Youngjae. He found his eyes lingering on Mark. His body had a slightly smaller frame than his own but still had some obvious muscle definition. Which even though he it was covered, was vaguely visible through the thin fabric of his shirt if you paid attention. The way that the extra fabric of the sleeves hung over his hands made them look so delicate, grasping his glass or covering his mouth when Youngjae made him laugh too hard.

"Hey Jackson, do you want to dance?" Asked Mark, which made Jackson's eyes flicker back up to his face and almost immediately he was looking at his stained red smile and vaguely disheveled hair.

"Yeah sure". He had been watching the people on the dance floor for long enough to feel like he understood how it worked. And it looked fun.

Mark leaned into Youngjae "Go talk to him" he said quietly, gesturing discretly toward the guy in the black shirt who he knew he had been checking out.

"Pfft" Youngjae dismissed. "Maybe".

" You can do it, I beleive in you" he joked over his shoulder, walking to the dancefloor with Jackson.

There was a dance remix of a popular girl group song playing. It was really upbeat and almost obnoxiously catchy.

Mark effortlessly started dancing. His movements looked so easy and natural. Jackson looked at the others dancing and hesitated.

"Hey don't worry, I had no idea how to dance before I started coming here. Nobody cares if you dance well or not" Mark reassured.

Jackson tried to copy Mark, which he was basically able to do, though a little clumsier. He noticed how much more confident he felt doing something like this around Mark as opposed to a regular human. When he saw Mark smiling back at him, he knew he wasn't being judged. It felt almost like if he had gone clubbing with Bambam.

The more he and Mark danced, the more he felt like he understood why humans get so into music. Dancing with Mark was something so pure and unexplainable. It wasn't a complicated activity, but it made him so happy and he could express how happy it made him with his body. It was unlike anything from his home planet.

Mark leaned in. "Do you think you'd come here again?" He asked.

"Yes of course, this is the most fun I've had since I've been here. I don't even think i've had fun before tonight" He answered enthusiastically. "Would you want to come here with me again?".

Mark smiled even bigger "Yeah, of course".

How new and flashy Jackson made every little thing seem was really adorable to Mark. And it was a kind of infectious attitude to be around. He's found himself smiling way more than he would on an average night at the Dawn Room.

The song changed to something a bit more hip hop, which Jackson liked dancing to even more.

Mark leaned in again to whisper something, this time clumsier, his hair brushing against Jackson's cheek. "Look at Youngjae" he told him.

He wasn't talking to the man Mark had told him to, but there was a man who was standing next to Younjae, looking very interested in what he was saying.

"Good for him" Jackson replied happily.

"Yeah definitely, he's the loveliest guy, he could have so many people wanting him if he just had more confidence".

"Well it can be really hard to not have your confidence injured when you know you're different from everybody else. From trying so hard to just be normal like everybody else.. Well it definitely was for me" Jackson said, suddenly making the tone of their conversation more serious than he intended.

Mark had to stop dancing, it felt too weird to be dancing through such a subject.

"Sorry" Jackson said, realizing he'd stopped.

"You don't have to be sorry. I felt that way too when I was younger. Most of us probably did and it shouldnt have to be that way but it is, unfortunately" he said.

"It's been so much better since you told me about you, about all of this" Jackson said.

"Aw come here Jackson" Mark said fondly, with his inebriation kind of noticeable in his voice.

They had a long hug in the middle of the dance floor, instinctively swaying slightly in time with the music. Not that they really noticed they were doing that. Jackson paid more attention to how warm and comforting it felt. And how soft his hair felt against his face. And how he felt kind of like he didn't want it to end. He wondered if hugging just felt that amazing or if Mark was just really good at it.

They went to get more drinks then stood against the wall near the bar, so that they weren't interrupting Youngjae and the guy he was chatting up. Except Jackson's drink was just water, at Marks request.

Mark leaned his head on Jackson's shoulder. "I'm worn out" he said quietly.

When Jackson paid attention to how his body felt, he was actually pretty tired too.

"Do you want to go home soon?" Mark added, without moving.

"Yeah, I should probably get going soon" He replied, not exactly looking forward to it. How was made the task seem daunting.

"Hey, I said I'd look after you, remember?" Mark poked Jackson's chest weakly. "I can't just let you make your way home by yourself when you've never even drank before. You can come back to my place".

"Really?" Jackson liked the idea of that way more than trying to catch public transport by himself.

"Yes" Mark decided, with a smile that Jackson couldn't see because he was still resting on his shoulder.

Then he lifted himself up abruptly. "We should tell Youngjae that we're going".

" Is he gonna be ok?" Jackson checked as they walked over. He was surprised by how abruptly Mark had decided they were leaving, but oddly Mark seemed to be acting more intoxicated than himself. Which in a way he was kind of releived about, because he'd anticipated himself being in that position but worse. He really didn't want to give Mark and Youngjae a reason to not invite him again.

 

"Of course he will, he's got a guy who's really into him. He'll be fine" Mark answered.

Youngjae paused his conversation when he noticed the pair approaching.

"Hey Youngjae, we're gonna go home" Mark informed his friend.

"Wait.. Is he going home with you?" Youngjae asked, referring to Jackson.

"Yeah".

Youngjae turned to his new admirer. "I'm sorry I'll just be a moment" He explained.

He nodded, unbothered by this.

Youngjae walked Mark a little bit away from Jackson so they could talk alone.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes I'm sure" Mark answered.

"You barely even know the guy".

"When have you ever cared about that before? Besides, it's not like that, I'm just looking after him" Mark explained, with a dismissive had gesture.

"What if he's dangerous?" Asked Youngjae, sounding a lot more stressed than before.

"What if that guys dangerous?" Mark laughed, looking over at the man who is interested in Youngjae. "You're being ridiculous".

Youngjae ran his fingers through his hair but ended up pulling it as he went. " You don't understand" he sighed.

"What don't I understand?" Mark questioned.

Youngjae almost told him, but instead he sighed and said "don't worry". He hugged his friend, tighter than usual. "Just promise me you'll be careful around him and you'll let me know that you got home safe, ok?".

" Yes, ok, I will. Love you Youngjae".

"I love you too".

He let go of Mark and they walked back over to the people they left behind.

" Let's go" Mark said happily to Jackson.

"Seeya Youngjae, it was nice meeting you" said Jackson.

"You too, bye" Replied Youngjae through a forced smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Mark stumblingly led Jackson to the train station. He followed, almost as clumsily.

It was very late but their way was brightly lit by street lamps and flashy obnoxious signs for stores and clubs.

Jackson had a smile plastered on his face for most of the walk, he kept managing to make Mark laugh, though with how intoxicated he was, that wasn't too hard to do. It still made him feel good though.

It was barely five minutes after they had gotten on the train that Mark had fallen asleep with his head leaning on Jackson's shoulder. This didn't bother Jackson though since Mark had told him the name of the stop they had to get off at.

He slid his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had 4 missed calls and 4 text messages from Bambam. Glancing to his shoulder, he double checked that Mark was fast asleep before checking the messages.

 

_Hey, how is the bar? I'm so curious_

_ What was the name of it? _

_Did you get my messages? r u ok?_

_Jackson don't make me worry like this, pick up your phone you jerk_

 

Jackson smirked at the last message.

 

_The bar we went to was the Dawn Room. We're on our way back to his place now, were so tired :/_

 

Jackson took a selfie, where Mark on his shoulder was somewhat visible and sent it to Bambam. He remembered about what his friend had told him about asking permission before taking a photo. But he figured Mark wouldn't be bothered since they were basically friends.

Bambam was taking a while reply, they arrived at their station and still no response.

"Rise and shine".

Mark woke up in a confused daze, with Jackson lightly jerking his shoulder.

"We're gonna get left behind if you don't get up".

" oh..uh oh!" Mark realized where he was and sprung from the seat.

"Was I asleep?" Mark asked as they exited the train.

"Only for the entire train ride" Jackson teased.

"I'm terrible, I'm supposed to be looking after you" said Mark, his tone still sleepy.

"Well, I didn't die, so you know, there's that" Jackson replied.

Mark scrunched up his face a bit. "That doesn't mean I'm looking after you well. That should just be the bare minimum. Far below the bare minimum".

They left the train station and walked down the road until they came to Mark's street. Then they reached a small apartment complex, Mark led Jackson to his door.

Mark's apartment was a nice place to be. It was really neat and tidy, but also warm and homy. It felt a bit more lived in than his own apartment. The small decorations and understated furniture made Jackson realize just how awkwardly decorated his apartment was by comparison to Mark's. It felt like if somebody was to see it, it would be obvious that his life was just a thrown together idea, as opposed to being a person with history and a past on this planet. All the small details added up, like Mark's framed picture of a family or his high school yearbooks on the bookshelf.

Mark walked into his kitchen and quickly returned with two glasses of water. He handed a glass to Jackson.

"You should drink two more of these before you sleep so you don't get a hangover ok?" he said maternally.

Jackson nodded and took the glass.

Just then Jackson's phone rang. He knew he would need some privacy.

"Hey, is it ok if I step onto the balcony to take this?".

" Yeah, do whatever" Said Mark.

Jackson stepped onto the balcony that lead off from the lounge room and shut the door behind him. He answered his phone.

"Hey Bambam" Jackson said happily, but quiet enough that Mark wouldn't hear.

"Hey, so it was the Dawn Room you were at with Mark right?" Asked Bambam.

"Wow, not even a 'how was your night Jackson?', 'Did you have fun?'. I see, that's were our friendship is now. Strictly business".

" Shut up Jackson".

Jackson's laugh came out more loud and high pitched than usual because of the abruptness of it.

"Did you get drunk?" Bambam asked.

"Maybe" Jackson replied, still smiling. Bambam felt slightly jealous.

"..But the Dawn Room, you know that's a gay bar right?" Said Bambam, getting back to the reason why he rung his friend.

"No, it's an alien bar. I would know, I just spent the whole evening there" Jackson responded smugly.

"So what did you actually do there?" Bambam asked with curiosity.

" We talked, drank, danced, Youngjae made a new friend, you know, stuff you do at a bar" He explained.

"What did the other aliens say?".

"We just talked about normal stuff mostly. You freaked me out so much with how worried you were that i didn't want to take any risks. Just in case a non alien was in the bar. It didn't matter though, it was just nice to know that I was in the company of people like me" He answered.

"So nobody at the bar did anything that would outwardly give off the impression that they were aliens?".

" Well..no.. What are you getting at? I know I was at an alien bar, Mark told me himself" Jackson replied,  getting a little frustrated.

"Just..how was it that Mark ended up telling you the other day?".

"Urrgh you have so many questions" Jackson sighed annoyedly.

"I'm sorry" Bambam laughed, which lifted the seriousness and frustration.

The silence that followed implied that he was still waiting for an answer.

"It was when my friend JB from football club wanted Mark to leave his girlfriend alone. He thought Mark was trying to steal her away. So I confronted him-"

"You confronted him?" Bambam laughed at the image.

"Shush, you're being rude" Jackson joked, but in a serious tone. "So I confronted him about it. But he told me that he wasn't into people like her. He was being really vague but then he told me he was an alien".

"So he definitely said that?" Bambam checked, knowing his friends tendancy to jump to conclusions.

"He told me that he was from another world" He answered.

"Oh" Bambam sighed, starting to understand the mess Jackson was in.

"What?" Jackson asked frustratedly.

"So he told you this to explain to you why he wasn't into JB's girlfriend right?".

"Yes?" Asked Jackson, feeling an odd mix of confused and insulted. Not that Bambam was insulting him, but he sure was interrogating him. And that somehow made him feel insulted.

"Oh no.."

"What Bambam!?" His irritation was building.

Bambam ran his fingers through his clean freshly washed hair, kind of stressing about how to tell him delicately. Though a small part of him liked being right, he knew that Jackson hated being wrong even more. He felt pangs of second hand embarrassment at the situation his friend had gotten himself into.

"He wasn't telling you he was an alien when he said he was from another world Jackson. He was probably using a euphamism".

" A euphemism?" Asked Jackson guardedly.

"It's when you say something to imply something else" He explained.

Jackson furrowed his eyebrows, still not beleiving. "Why would he do that? What would he be implying?".

" That he's gay" Bambam answered simply.

A silence followed.

"..You don't know what that is, do you?" Bambam realized.

"Hey hey, I do I just.. don't fully remember" he replied.

Bambam rolled his eyes and smiled. "We were literally in the same class, how do you not know this stuff?".

" Hey I told you I know it, I just don't fully remember right now" Jackson bluffed.

"It means he is romantically and or sexually attracted to the same gender as himself. So since Mark's a man, it means that he is only interested in other men. Which makes sense why he would have told you about this when you were confronting him about his supposed attraction to JB's girlfriend" He explained.

"No..but.. He related so much to how I've had trouble fitting in and learning to be normal" Jackson's mouth felt dry and he felt very uneasy.

"You've been having trouble fitting in?" Said Bambam sympathetically.

Jackson forgot that he hadn't told him. He felt a shred of his dignity leave him.

"It makes sense that he would relate though. People who don't conform to the gender or sexuality that is expected of them get treated really badly in lots of parts of the world. You should know about that, since you're studying sociology".

" They don't teach us anything" Said Jackson tiredly, picking at his fingernails. he felt like everything he had been excited about was being taken away. He wished that he was back on the train, with Mark's head resting on his shoulder. When he had no doubt that he was an alien and everyhing felt right.

"Like, did he ever explicitly say he was an alien, in a way that couldn't be explained by him being gay?" Bambam asked.

Jackson went over each interaction they had shared. He couldn't beleive it. "I should go, Mark will be wondering where I am. Bye Bambam" He said abruptly, deciding he'd had enough.

"Bye, and I'm sorry.."

Jackson hung up the phone and leaned against the balcony railings. This was just too much. And he was too drunk. He decided he would deal with this mess some other time. But for now, he just wanted to to sleep.

He walked inside, trying to pretend that he didn't just find out that his new friendship was a lie. Some of the lights were turned off and Mark was nowhere to be seen. Jackson went into the kitchen and filled up his glass, having two more glasses of water like Mark had told him to.

Then he peered into the bedroom and saw Mark. He was curled up on half of his double bed, with the sheets kicked down to the bottom of the bed and a leg outstretched. He must have passed out unintentionally because he was still wearing the exact same clothes that he wore to the club.  

Jackson tip toed over and climbed onto the other side of the bed delicately. He still knocked something off the bedside table in the process, but Mark didn't stir. He didn't know where else he was supposed to sleep, Mark hadn't gotten any bedding for the couch or anything.

He gently pulled the sheets over Mark, grazing against his arm as he did. It made him remember their hug earlier. He couldn't help but just look at Mark for a minute. He had never seen another person sleep before. He looked so peaceful, but also something else, like looking at him just made him want to hug him again, it was so warm and comfortable. But now it felt like a lie.

"I'm sorry Mark.." He whispered. Then he turned over and went to sleep.


End file.
